Virginia Earthquake
GOP Attempts to Restore Preemption
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is off to a running start. He appears ready to sign genuine gun “reform” legislation when it hits his desk, restoring and expanding gun rights in the Old Dominion. (Screen snip, YouTube, WSLS)
When Republicans took back control of the Virginia House of Delegates last month, with GOP newcomer Glenn Youngkin now in the governor’s office, they quickly introduced a string of bills aimed at undoing all of the egregious gun control measures pushed through two years ago by Democrats and former Gov. Ralph Northam.
Two lessons were learned. First, Virginia gun owners aren’t likely to ever again sit out an election like they did in 2019, which had an embarrassing turnout of less than 40 percent. It allowed Democrats—all determined to adopt Northam’s gun control agenda—to take over. When 22,000 citizens marched on the Richmond capitol building in January 2020, the governor and his allies in the legislature ignored them.
Possibly the worst measure they adopted was a repeal of state preemption. Now there is a bill to reverse that, returning the Old Dominion to a state of gun law uniformity from border to border.
Freshman Delegate Timothy Anderson, a Republican representing the Commonwealth’s 83rd District, is the prime sponsor of HB 26, which will restore preemption. If you’re a Virginia gun owner, this is a critical issue, because what is legal in Fairfax should also be legal in Danville.
According to the language in HB 26, “No locality shall adopt or enforce any ordinance, resolution, or motion, as permitted by з 15.2-1425, and no agent of such locality shall take any administrative action, governing the purchase, possession, transfer, ownership, carrying, storage, or transporting of firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof other than those expressly authorized by statute. For purposes of this section, a statute that does not refer to firearms, ammunition, or components or combination thereof shall not be construed to provide express authorization.”
Another newcomer, Del. Michael A. Cherry (R-66th District), is sponsoring HB 23, a measure to repeal a prohibition on carrying firearms in “places of worship.”
Interesting that first-timers appear to be leading the charge on reforming these gun control laws.
Sanctuaries
While anti-gunners were busy in Richmond two years ago, something remarkable happened across the length and breadth of the Commonwealth. Community after community saw their town council meetings swell in attendance.
The phenomenon actually began just days after the devastating November election. As reported at the time by WHSV News, whole counties were declaring themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries “as Virginia Democrats, with a newly obtained legislative majority, propose new gun control legislation.”
When dozens of people attend a public meeting, it’s an attention-getter. When hundreds show up, it’s a movement. Their efforts paid off as jurisdictions all over the Virginia landscape became Second Amendment sanctuaries. These declarations may have had no force in law, but they were symbolic, and symbolism is a powerful political tool.
The movement created momentum and it continued through to last November.
There is no small irony in the fact that while Virginia lawmakers are working to restore state preemption, liberal Democrats are trying to destroy a preemption law that has been around for nearly 40 years, at the far end of the country in Washington State. This preemption law served as a model for similar laws in other states.
Maybe this is one reason the Washington 2022 Legislative Action Group soared to more than 10,000 members last month. In years past, that degree of activism would have been unthinkable, but the grassroots have been stirred.
Joe Biden Admits...
Joe Biden, shown here observing the anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol protest, has figured it out: Criminals buying guns on the street don’t submit to background checks. (Screen snip, YouTube, CNBC)
Last month, after a lone armed man took four hostages at a Texas synagogue only to be shot dead after a lengthy standoff when the hostages escaped, President Joe Biden made what many believed was a startling admission.
While he was chatting with the press, Biden confirmed what embattled gun owners have known for decades: “The idea of background checks are critical, but you can’t stop something like this if someone’s on the streets buying something from somebody else on the streets.”
Biden finally figured it out. Criminals and crazy people don’t bother with background checks, waiting periods or some other bureaucratic impediment. They simply get their hands on a gun, illicitly of course.
Recall the perp in this drama was a British citizen identified as Malik Faisal Akram. He had only been in this country a short time, but it was long enough to buy a gun “on the street,” and walk into the synagogue, igniting an 11-hour standoff.
"Smart Guns" Again?
It’s not clear why, but every couple of years, some company decides to introduce a so-called “smart gun” and it causes a ruckus.
This time around, according to NewsNation Now, an outfit calling itself SmartGunz LLC is reportedly planning to introduce a gun this year. At least two other companies, LodeStar and Biofire, are also working on smart gun projects.
Smart guns seem to have a couple of things in common. They will only work for their owner, and they require some kind of mechanism that may be personalized. This involves the user either activating the gun with a fingerprint or palm print or in tandem with something like a ring or bracelet. This typically involves a battery, and that’s where the objections start. A defensive firearm must work every time. If it fails once, someone could die. Batteries eventually get tired.
Nobody in the firearms community objects to new gun developments. The concern is such guns would be mandated. This is where rights activists draw the proverbial line.
Hot Guns in Nashville
Guns are being stolen out of cars in Nashville. A vehicle safe can prevent such theft.
An alarming statistic suggests Tennessee gun owners aren’t as careful as they ought to be, while also underscoring the City of Nashville has a problem with thieves in need of serious attention.
According to WPLN News, “more than 1,300 guns were stolen out of cars in Nashville in 2021.” That’s according to data from the Nashville police Department.
As explained in the story about how people lose guns from their parked cars, “Sometimes they don’t secure their guns — not even hiding them away in the glove compartment. Often, they don’t even lock their cars.”
Considering how hard Second Amendment advocates work to protect the gun rights of people in Nashville and elsewhere, armed citizens need to step up to the plate and assume some responsibility. The gun control crowd reportedly wants to repeal a 2013 statute allowing people licensed to carry to keep guns in cars.
There are several reasonable storage devices available, including lock boxes, small gun safes with combination locks that can be installed in a console and similar devices that may be bolted into place in a car trunk. Proper storage shouldn’t be a question.
